Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 2:6-8
Prov 2:6-8
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
James 3:15-17
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
The fool will not learn from his/her own mistakes but repeats them with the same failed results. The truly wise person will learn from the mistakes of him/herself, but in addition, will learn from the mistakes of others too. We live in what is called the information age, an age in which knowledge is all around us and readily available to all. The problem is that not all knowledge is true, so it leads us to making wrong decisions, which ends in bad results.
God is the source of all true knowledge. When information contradicts what we find in the Bible, it is false and needs to be rejected. True knowledge is the basis of wisdom that gives us a good life. Wisdom is the ability to use true knowledge to make good decisions. This wisdom comes from God. But there is also a false wisdom that is demonic and leads to all kinds of disorder and evil practice.
One of the things that is missing in our culture is godly wisdom. This wisdom is open to reason, is peaceable and gentle. It is not self-centered but is based on a love that looks out for the interests of others, even ahead of our own. It is always morally pure, and it is impartial. With this wisdom, we can decipher between true and false information. We can discuss things with others in a kind and reasonable way, even when we do not agree with them. This is because we are continually looking for truth, realizing that we are not the source of all truth. We know that we can and may be wrong. We listen, reason (based on God’s word), and then decide what is or is not true. We then use truth as the basis of wisdom.
O Lord God, the source and giver of all truth, give me wisdom. Help me study, listen, and observe to gain knowledge, but to depend on you as my source of wisdom. Give me strength to do what I know to be right and to stay away from what I know is wrong. Give our leaders wisdom to guide us and rule over us. Be with your people that we can show Jesus to all those around us. I humbly pray in the name of Jesus, my Lord and my Savior.
Robert
